Legend of Dragon Son-in-law - Chapter 1518: Gathering of the Strong

Chapter 1518: Chapter 1518: Gathering of the Strong

Julius Reed was not worried about Devlin.

Truly.

After consolidating all the forces in Swimming City, Devlin was indeed quite formidable.

But if that ragtag group actually encountered a powerful adversary, they would crumble into chaos in an instant.

When Julius Reed received the call from Grace River, he agreed to rescue the imperial princess. His condition was simple: the imperial bloodline had to help him with one matter in return.

This way, neither side owed the other.

In his own words, should it later be revealed that Grace River betrayed him, he could act without a shred of hesitation or guilt.

Fair and reasonable.

While in Swimming City, he merely uttered a few intimidating words to Devlin.

After that, he left behind a loudspeaker containing his own recorded voice and entered this place alone.

Compared to the Azure Emperor’s ancient tomb, Devlin was truly insignificant.

Although Julius Reed was tempted to crush this pesky fly, he was even more curious about the contents of the ancient tomb.

What could compel the descendants of Emperor Charlotte Grey’s loyal ministers to obsess over it for generations?

What could rally heroes from across the realm at the mere whisper of its existence?

And could his recurring dream be connected to the tomb?

Julius Reed stood three hundred meters away from the stone gate.

This three-hundred-meter stretch was anything but peaceful.

The road appeared flat, but deadly traps lurked beneath the surface.

Had the toxic miasma not cleared, the visibility here wouldn’t even reach ten meters.

In fact, within five meters, it would be impossible to make out anything clearly.

Swimming City bordered mountains and the sea.

The Azure Emperor’s ancient tomb happened to be located in a hollow area at the center of the mountains.

The shifting winds couldn’t quite reach this spot.

The toxic miasma, however, had settled here perfectly, resisting dispersal for a hundred years.

An ideal location.

The perfect place to bury—or conceal—treasures.

Julius Reed turned his head; many people had arrived.

There were men and women, elders and youths alike.

All were staring at the stone gate with unspoken anticipation.

Clearly, they were martial artists seeking treasures hidden in the ancient tomb.

Unfortunately, Julius Reed didn’t recognize a single one of them.

“The toxic miasma around the Azure Emperor’s ancient tomb dissipates only once every few centuries. In eight hours, the miasma will gather again,” an elder dressed in white sportswear, carrying a longsword, reminded the youths beside him, “Remember! No matter what happens, no matter what we encounter, we must get out in eight hours! Check your watches. It’s 6:30 in the morning.”

The young people raised their wrists and began adjusting their watch hands.

This group seemed quite modern in their attire, but their chest insignias uniformly depicted a snake.

A spirit snake!

They were likely from some ancient and reclusive sect.

“Davion Hawthorne!”

Not far away, a Taoist in a yellow robe greeted the elder with a smile and led his disciples forward.

“Fancy that! We meet again. Years ago, my master and your teacher ventured here together. Now, you and I are paired up once more—it must be fate.”

The yellow-robed elder had jet-black hair, looking far younger than his years.

But Julius Reed knew he was already over two hundred years old.

In another century or so, he would pass away.

Martial artists could strengthen their bodies and extend their lifespans, but they were not immune to the passage of time.

“Hmph! I refuse to associate with you.” The sportswear-clad elder named Davion Hawthorne snorted disdainfully, turning his head away. “The Spirit Snake Sect is a righteous organization, while your lot deals in wicked and despicable ways. What kind of skill is that? Jeffrey Wolfe, stay away from my disciples!”

“Fine!” Jeffrey Wolfe responded with a laugh instead of anger. “Davion, still as fiery-tempered as ever. But here we are at the Azure Emperor’s ancient tomb’s Eight-Tao Sect gate. Isn’t this fate?”

After that, he said nothing more.

He merely waited for the toxic miasma to clear completely.

The air dormant for centuries needed time to circulate; failure to allow it would lead to instant death along the road.

Gradually, more and more factions gathered to wait.

Most grouped in threes or fives; few had teams exceeding ten, like Davion Hawthorne and Jeffrey Wolfe. None, however, came alone like Julius Reed.

“Hey handsome, want to exchange contact info?”

A seductive young lady suddenly sidled up to Julius Reed, lightly resting her hand on his shoulder and smiling sweetly. “Once we’re out of the tomb, we could grab a meal together.”

“Sorry, you’ve mistaken me for someone else.” Julius Reed coldly declined.

At the very moment she touched him, an exceptionally fine needle quietly pierced his skin.

“How disappointing!” The girl pretended to sulk but walked away laughing.

Swish!

As she turned, the silver needle stealthily flew out, falling to the ground.

“Young man, don’t say I didn’t warn you! Women like that bring bad luck! I suggest you clean whatever spot she touched!” Davion Hawthorne admonished, his face dark.

After all, he couldn’t tolerate such underhanded tactics.

Shameless. Vile!

No principles.

“Thank you.” Julius Reed nodded but didn’t do anything further.

“Sigh.” Davion shook his head, sighed, and didn’t say more.

The law of the jungle.

Nature’s rule.

To martial artists, it rang even truer.

The strong determine the narrative.

The girl’s flirtation caused Julius Reed to draw considerable attention.

Only now did people realize he was the sole person to arrive here alone.

“Look at him, utterly ordinary, yet daring to come to the Azure Emperor’s ancient tomb! This place teems with dangers—one mistake could cost his life!”

A male disciple from the Spirit Snake Sect sneered jealously, “No clue what the woman from Hillcrest Island was thinking. She could have just asked me out to eat!”

Smack!

Before he finished, Davion Hawthorne smacked the back of his head.

“Remember this! Lust is the root of destruction! Do not mingle with those Hillcrest Island Taoists, you hear?”

A date?

That’s a death sentence!

Davion fumed with gritted teeth.

“Understood, Master.” The disciple rubbed his head but couldn’t stop ogling the Taoists from Hillcrest Island.

Ten minutes passed.

Unnoticed, over a hundred people had gathered here.

But every face was unfamiliar.

The legendary forces from West Sea and East Sea hadn’t yet appeared.

Even Pendleton’s people were absent.

According to Jeffrey Wolfe, the Azure Emperor’s tomb contained eight gates.

Presumably, the others were waiting at their respective gates.

“Go!”

After another three minutes.

A team could no longer hold back and proceeded forward, entering first.

But Davion Hawthorne and Jeffrey Wolfe’s factions showed no urgency.

They stood in place, calmly watching.

Based on their earlier conversation, Julius Reed gathered that their ancestors had visited before.

If they had ventured here, they must have experience.

And the likelihood was that they left empty-handed.

So, these two teams decided to observe carefully—there had to be a reason.

Th𝒾𝓈 ₡h𝖺pṯ𝗲r 𝗶𝗌 pο𝑠τɛ∂ bƴ Ƙ𝐢ṯҽп𝙤𝘷ҽ𝑙

Eight hours.

That was enough time.

Besides—

Death?

Julius Reed had never faced it.

With the miasma cleared, the road appeared smooth.

The initial group moved cautiously for fifty meters. Finding nothing unusual, they began sprinting!

Seizing the advantage—an undeniably wise choice!

“Heh.” Jeffrey Wolfe sneered, his gaze filled with pity.

Thump!

“Ah!”

Suddenly.

The seemingly smooth road collapsed without warning.

Even martial artists had moments when they couldn’t evade disaster!

Let alone when sprinting recklessly, leaving no time to react!

In just three seconds.

The road plunged into silence.

The eight martial artists who rushed ahead first—all dead.

The rest watched with terror in their eyes.

For a while, no one dared to take another step.